Why Organizations Must Create Emotional Service Experiences

July 25, 2013 by Bruce Jones, Programming Director, Disney Institute

“If you do not make an emotional connection with customers, then satisfaction is worthless.” That’s according to a Gallup publication titled, “Customer Satisfaction Doesn’t Count.” Bolstering their research are numbers that suggest organizations who optimize this connection outperform their competitors by as much as 26% in gross margin and 85% in sales growth. Additionally, research showed that customers who are emotionally engaged are:

At least 3x more likely to recommend

3x more likely to repurchase

Less likely to shop around (44% said they rarely or never shop around)

Much less price-sensitive (33% said they would need a discount of over 20% before they would defect)

Of course, using only numbers to support a claim of emotional necessity seems rather hollow. Instead, think back to a personal service experience that exceeded your expectations. It may have been the barber who stayed late to accommodate your schedule, the associate who ensured you looked and felt your best in a new suit, or the barista who always calls you by name. These are the types of personalized, above and beyond the call-of-duty, relationship-building moments your customers remember and share.

Service is experienced in a multitude of moments over time. At Disney, a fanatical level of attention to each of these moments is how we create magical experiences for our Guests. Organizations that use these moments like these to create emotional connections, as opposed to a purely rational connection, often realize an economic beneficial outcome.

We want to hear your story! Was there a time an organization exceeded your service expectations? How has that experience impacted your relationship with that organization?

Disney Institute is ready to help you apply strategic rigor to your customer experience efforts - call us at 321.939.4600 or complete our
Contact Form